8.6.-31.8.2002

Yoji Ogura     Eggs - The Pulse of Life

Statements of Mr Ogura:

"The photographs in this exhibition represent my personal quest for a common theme in works created by the human heart. In my photographs, I have attempted to go beyond literal depictions of various objects. Instead, I have tried to capture accurately the true essence of these objects, which I believe can be recognized and appreciated by people in all countries. It would give me great pleaseure if some aspects of these images from Japan could cross cultural and racial borders, and strike a chord in people's hearts throughout the world.

This exhibition, my first outside Japan, is being held in Finland because I have always been fascinated by the relationship between man and nature, particularly in those remote, forbidding areas that nevertheless benignly accommodate man's temporary presence. I am drawn to the people who build their tranquil homes in such an environment, and to their culture. I see Finland as such a country.

I am honored to have my works viewed by the people who live in this land of lakes and marshes, white nights and darkness.

"Still waters run deep..." Let the mind be still in approaching these objects, for only in the stillness of contemplation can the heart encounter a new reality. What appears in these photographs is a vision of truth that comes directly from the heart. They have no meaning in the narrow sense of the word. My hope is simply that they will reach out and touch the viewer at the core of his or her being, at a level that transcends awareness of spesific individual efforts or creativity. In the process, perhaps the images will also pose questions about the mystery of life, the earth, and the human spirit. Simplified personal history."

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 12-18,
Saturday-Sunday 12-16.
Free admission.

Supported by: The Japan Foundation/Tokyo